President-elect Oscar Arias may be looking to prove his peace making prowess again, as in an impromptu press conference he announced that his agenda will include promoting the the approval of the ATT (Arms Trade Treaty) in the UN

QUAKER LOBBY ATT Summary

Arias criticized the US for being the main purveyor of arms worldwide, but said all five Security council permament members were responsible for exporting arms, when they are the ones who are supposed to promote world peace.

“This is a fight that is just beginning. If ending antipersonnel mines took 6 or 7 years, controlling all weapons will take some time.”, ATT is an NGO initiative promoted by the Arias Foundation for Peace, Amnesty International, Arias para la Paz, creada por Arias; Amnistía Internacional, Caritas Internationalis, Oxfam, Non Violence International, and others.

Arias said that “this is an idea whose time has come for the good of humanity. As president I will support programs like this, because they can really change the world. The best way to perpetuate poverty is spending more and more in arms and soldiers. The children of the world need schools, high schools and and health clinics, not rifles AK 47. ”

The ATT has the support of 40 countries, including Great Britain, Finland, Kenya and Costa Rica, a country that eliminated its army in 1949. Among other things, the ATT obliges states to adopt measures to ensure that all arms transfers are authorized by government agencis.  It prohibits the transfer of arms that could be utilized to violate international treaties, human rights and the non-aggression principle between states.